Sphere and needle alignment indicia for head of golf putter

ABSTRACT

A needle or pointer pierces a sphere from the rear to form an alignment indicia to direct the sweet spot of the putter and the center of the golf ball towards the target putting line.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present utility patent application claims the benefit of provisional application No. 60/681,379 filed May 16, 2005 and provisional application No. 60/771,939 filed Feb. 2, 2006.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable.

THE NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to golfing practice aids and particularly to a putter head having alignment indicia thereon, the alignment indicia comprising a needle or pointer which pierces a sphere from the rear to direct the sweet spot of the putter and the center of the golf ball towards the target putting line, said indicia aids the player in accurate putting strokes by visualization of a needle piercing through the ball.

2. Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98

Golf requires a great deal of practice to become a competent golfer, which involves a large amount of repetition of the fundamental aspects of the game. The need for practice is particularly true in relation to putting. For most golfers, about 40% of their total score is putting strokes, and they are always struggling on the green with putting all the time, therefore putting is the element of the game which can truly make or break a round. Bad putting can ruin an entire hole regardless of how good the approach shots have been.

Putting is such an important part of the game that golfers undertake large amounts of putting practice. Putting practice is generally performed by repetitively hitting the golf ball across a surface towards a receptacle. When putting, the golfer must properly align the putter so that the point of impact of the putter face against the golf ball is directed toward the target. Numerous putter designs have lines, arrows, grooves, or other markings on top of the club to indicate and optimize this alignment. A consistent stroke is developed only after large amounts of practicing this repetitive motion.

U.S. patent application Ser. No. 20050181889, published Aug. 18, 2005 by Green, relates a translucent or transparent golf putter head which generally includes a first striking surface, a second surface extending above the first striking surface, a third surface extending rearwardly behind the first striking surface, and indicators for indicating to a user when the user's head is at a predetermined position relative to the golf putter head.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,409,228, issued Apr. 25, 1995 to Botsch, puts forth a visual alignment device made of any appropriate high impact material that may be readily attached as a temporary training device or bonded as an integral part of many existing putter type golf clubs that assists the player in visualizing the putting line, in positioning his eyes over the putting line, and in properly aligning the putter head with the ball to be struck and in maintaining that alignment throughout the stroke. The top half of the device consists of a hollow hemisphere of the same diameter as a golf ball containing a sighting slot running substantially across it from the front to the rear and a number of small holes that simulate dimples in the ball and also allow light to enter the device. The base of the device has features which properly position the device on putter heads and has a brightly colored raised reference line bisecting the interior of the base extending from the front to the rear so that when the device is properly fixed upon a putter head and when the putter is properly aligned with the ball to be struck, the reference line will point to the center of the ball to be struck along the putting line and the player's eyes will be directly over the putting line.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,749,196, issued Jun. 7, 1988 to Podgor, indicates a club and head for putting with an alignment element formed of a transparent material having first and second references marks. The reference marks are oriented upon the element so that when the element is affixed to a golf club, preferably a putter, the second reference mark is magnified when the first reference mark is oriented between the viewer and the second reference mark. Preferably the second reference mark is a contrasting color, lighter than the first reference to give the appearance, when viewed from above, of a darker line superimposed on a lighter magnified line. When affixed to a golf club, the alignment of the first reference mark with the magnified second reference mark is used to assist in positioning when addressing the ball.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,325,168, issued Jun. 13, 1967 to Fyanes, is for a training device for driving which includes a golf ball with diametrically opposed markings on the relative front and back of a ball establishing a diameter through the center of the ball. The ball is of penetrable material and is struck with a club having a protruding needle. The purpose is to strike the ball with the club such that the needle penetrates the respective front and back markings along the established diameter.

U.S. Pat. No. 1,572,527, issued Feb. 9, 1926 to Goldsworthy, provides a training device for driving which includes a lightweight golf practice ball with blow receiving portions and a club having a puncture pin on the face thereof. The purpose is to strike the ball with the club so that the pin penetrates the ball.

U.S. Pat. No. 1,600,466, issued Sep. 21, 1926 to Goldsworthy, claims a puncturing pin for golf clubs. The purpose is to strike a practice ball with the club so that the pin penetrates the ball.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,244,973, issued Jun. 12, 2001 to Eichelberger, shows a training device for developing a golfer's swing based on a principle of driving a spike fixed to the sweet spot of a striking surface of a golf club, into the flat target surface of a slab of material selected to permit penetration and fixation of the spike in the target surface. The slab is preferably Styrofoam and is supported by a stake inserted through the slab and into the ground. In an alternative arrangement, the slab is temporarily supported in its erect position by inserting its lower end in a slot in a pad.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,441,270, issued Aug. 15, 1995 to Williams, describes a straight hitting aid and method for training a beginning golfer to stroke a golf club so that he or she hits a golf ball in a straight direction toward a desired target without the golf ball being hooked or spliced. A pointer which is secured to the shaft of the golf club is aligned to be perfectly parallel with another pointer which is detachably connected to the face of the golf club so that it extends perpendicularly therefrom, the pointer on the face of the golf club being removed and the pointer on the shaft having been clamped in the aforesaid disposition, the golfer then by swinging the golf club so that the pointer moves perfectly rectilinearly to hit the golf ball with the pointer being pointed in a parallel direction toward the desired target, the golf ball is hit straight toward the target. The golf club can be a putter, iron, or wood and the pointer which is temporarily connected to the face of the head of the club may be connected by a magnet or resilient clamp or other resilient members such as elastic bands for nonmagnetic golf club faces. The pointer is attached by clamp to the shaft of the club so as to be movable in a horizontal plane about the longitudinal axis of the club and in a vertical plane that coincides with the axis of the club. This pointer may also be pivoted upwardly and secured against the shaft for storage and transportation purposes.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,866,922, issued Feb. 18, 1975 to Marci, concerns a golf putter with a transparent plastic putting head that has an alignment indicating device imbedded within which shows the direction the ball will travel when struck by the putter.

What is needed is a precision alignment indicia for a head of a golf putter to direct the sweet spot of the putter to the center of the golf ball and toward the target putting line.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to provide a combination of a sphere and a needle mounted in a recess in the body of a golf club putter behind the striking face and pointing at the striking point of the striking face to form a precision alignment indicia to focus the attention of a golfer to direct the sweet spot of the putter to the center of the golf ball and toward the target putting line.

A related object of the present invention is to provide a needle actually piercing a sphere or appearing to pierce a sphere to aid the player in making an accurate putting stroke by imagining the needle piercing through the golf ball as an image in the golfer's mind of a precise hitting of the golf ball since the image of piercing a fine needle through the ball in the mind helps the swing intention and accuracy of direction since if you do not pierce straight, the fine needle will be bent so the player directs the needle to the center of the ball thereby engaging the sweet spot of the golf putter striking face with the center of the golf ball.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a sphere would be an attractive ornamentation on the putter with an attractive colored sphere resembling an actual spherical body such as a small Earth, Moon, Sun, a planet (Jupiter, Uranus or Mars etc.), a fruit such as cherry or cherry tomato, apple, plum, strawberry, a sphere jewel (pearl, opal etc.), a ball, candy ball, discus, coin, etc., which may be transparent, semitransparent, or opaque.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other details of my invention will be described in connection with the accompanying drawings, which are furnished only by way of illustration and not in limitation of the invention, and in which drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the sphere and needle indicia attached in a hemispherical opening and groove on the support surface aligned with the top of the front striking face of the putter of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the sphere and needle indicia embedded in a clear plastic attached to a flat lower support surface behind the front striking face of the putter;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the sphere and needle indicia attached in a hemispherical opening and groove on a lower support surface with an indicia line between the needle point and the striking face;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the sphere and needle indicia embedded in a clear plastic attached to a flat lower support surface behind the front striking face of the putter with an indicia line between the needle point and the striking face;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the attachment of the needle to be partially inserted in the sphere with a peg from the support surface to attach into an opening in the bottom of the sphere;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the attachment of the needle to be fully inserted through the sphere with a peg from the bottom of the sphere to attach into an opening in the support surface;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the sphere and needle attached in a keyhole shaped opening in the support surface with a pair of guard arms extending over the sphere and the point of the needle in a notch on the top surface above the striking face;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the sphere and needle attached in a keyhole shaped opening in the support surface aligned with the top surface of the striking face and the point of the needle in a notch on the top surface above the striking face;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing the sphere and needle attached in a keyhole shaped opening in the support surface below the top surface of the striking face and an elevated guard surface behind the sphere and the point of the needle in a notch on the top surface above the striking face with an indicia line between the needle point and the striking face;

FIG. 10 is a top plan view of the putter head of the present invention showing a needle piercing a clear sphere as an indicia pointing at the center of the striking face aligned with the center of a golf ball and having a keyhole shaped elevated guard support surface for the sphere and a notch for the point of the needle;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the putter head of FIG. 10.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In FIGS. 1-11, a sphere 22 and needle 21 alignment indicia device for a golf putter head 38 aims the putter head precisely at the golf ball 50, in FIG. 10 so that the “sweet spot” or center portion of the club strikes the ball.

A golf putter head 38 is attached to a golf club shaft 39 and 39A and 39B. The golf putter head 38 comprises a front striking face 37 for striking a golf ball 50 with a center portion of the striking face during putting, as shown in FIG. 10, and further comprises an interconnected rearward extending support portion 32A-32D which may have end weights 36 for proper weight and balance of the club.

A sphere 22 and 22A and needle 21 form an alignment indicia attached to a top surface of the support portion so that the sphere and needle alignment indicia are visible to a golfer holding the golf club shaft. The sphere and needle alignment indicia comprising a sphere 22 and 22A mounted on the support portion 32 behind and spaced apart from the center portion of the striking face, shown marked by indicia line 34 in FIGS. 3, 4, and 9, and a needle 21 extending from a center of the sphere forward to a point adjacent to the front striking face with a point of the needle pointing precisely to the center portion of the striking face to assist a golfer in aligning the golf putter head with a golf ball 50, as shown in FIG. 10.

In FIGS. 1 and 3, the support portion 32 comprises a top support surface aligned with a top of the striking face 37 with a recessed hemispherical opening 33 in a rearward portion of the top support surface to receive the sphere 22 secured therein by adhering or other means with half of the sphere in the hemispherical opening and a groove 31 extending from a front center of the hemispherical opening to a point adjacent to the front striking face pointing to the center portion of the striking face, the needle 21 secured in the groove 31.

In FIGS. 2 and 4, a transparent block 23 and 23A of rigid synthetic material, such as poured acrylic, encase the sphere 22 and needle 21. The support surface 32A and 32C comprises a flat top portion for receiving the transparent block attached thereto by adhering or other means.

In FIGS. 5-11, the support portion 32B comprises a top support surface aligned with a top of the front striking face, the top support surface having a keyhole shaped opening therein with a round portion 33A of the keyhole shaped opening positioned rearwardly from the front striking face and a straight portion 31 A of the keyhole shaped opening extending forwardly to a point adjacent to the front striking face 37. The top surface has a V-shaped notch 34 at a front center edge of the straight portion. The notch 34 is aligned with the center portion of the striking face 37. The sphere 22 is secured within the round portion 33A of the keyhole shaped opening and a point of the needle 21 secured in the V-shaped notch 34.

In FIG. 5, the sphere 22A has a cylindrical sphere opening 28 in a bottom of the sphere and the support portion has a mating cylindrical vertical support peg 18 in the center of the round portion 33 A of the keyhole opening so that the support peg 18 fits securely in the sphere opening 28 preferably with an adhesive to attach the sphere 22A to the support portion.

In FIG. 6, the sphere 22B further comprises a cylindrical sphere peg 29 extending from a bottom of the sphere and the support portion has a mating cylindrical support opening 19 in the center of the round portion 33A of the keyhole opening so that the sphere peg 29 fits securely in the support opening 19 preferably with an adhesive to attach the sphere to the support portion.

In FIG. 7, a pair of guard arms 13 extend from the support portion over a portion of the sphere 22 to secure the sphere.

In FIGS. 3, 4, and 9, the support portion comprises a recessed horizontal support surface 32B extending rearwardly from the striking face. The recessed horizontal support surface has a recessed hemispherical opening 33 in a rearward portion thereof to receive the sphere secured therein with half of the sphere in the hemispherical opening and a groove 31, in FIG. 3, extending from a front center of the hemispherical opening to a point adjacent to the front striking face pointing to the center portion of the striking face. In FIG. 9 the hemispherical opening is part of a keyhole shaped opening. The golf putter head further comprising a flat top surface extending rearwardly from the front striking face and a downwardly extending rear face from the flat top surface down to the recessed horizontal support surface, the rear face parallel to the front striking face and a line indicia 35 extending from the center portion of the front striking face rearwardly along the flat top surface and down the rear face to a point on the recessed horizontal support surface aligned with the needle 21.

In FIG. 4, a transparent block 23A of rigid synthetic material encasing the sphere 22 and needle 21, wherein the support surface comprises a recessed horizontal support surface 32C for receiving the transparent block 23A attached thereto with the needle 21 pointing to the center portion of the front striking plate 37. The golf putter head further comprising a flat top surface extending rearwardly from the front striking face and a downwardly extending rear face from the flat top surface down to the recessed horizontal support surface, the rear face parallel to the front striking face and a line indicia 35 extending from the center portion of the front striking face rearwardly along the flat top surface and down the rear face to a point aligned with the needle 21.

In FIGS. 10 and 11, the sphere 22C is formed of a transparent material and the needle 21 pierces through the sphere so that the needle is visible from a back of the needle and a shaft of the needle extending through the sphere and out of the sphere forwardly to a needle point pointing at the center portion of the front striking plate.

In FIGS. 1-9, the sphere 22 is formed of an opaque material so that a portion of the needle 21 within the sphere is not visible. The sphere 22 is provided with a visual image on an exterior of the sphere which may be any of a variety of images including at least one color, a painting, an image of the Earth, an image of the Moon, an image of the Sun, an image of a planet, an image of a fruit, an image of a vegetable, an image of a pearl, an image of a ball, an image of a candy ball or any other desired spherical image.

In FIGS. 1-4 and 6-11, the needle 21 extends completely through the sphere 22.

In FIG. 5, a portion 15 of the needle is secured within a mating opening in the sphere 22A.

In use, the needle 21 extending forward from the sphere 22 directs the putting line, sweet spot of the putter head and the center of the golf ball 50, as shown in FIG. 10. This needle aiming indicia is to aid the player for more accurate aiming and a better putting stroke.

It is understood that the preceding description is given merely by way of illustration and not in limitation of the invention and that various modifications may be made thereto without departing from the spirit of the invention as claimed. 

1. A sphere and needle alignment indicia device for a golf putter head, the device comprising: a golf putter head attached to a golf club shaft, the golf putter head comprising a front striking face for striking a golf ball with a center portion of the striking face during putting and an interconnected rearward extending support portion; a sphere and needle alignment indicia attached to a top surface of the support portion so that the sphere and needle alignment indicia are visible to a golfer holding the golf club shaft, the sphere and needle alignment indicia comprising a sphere mounted on the support portion behind and spaced apart from the center portion of the striking face; and a needle extending from a center of the sphere forward to a point adjacent to the front striking face with a point of the needle pointing precisely to the center portion of the striking face to assist a golfer in aligning the golf putter head with a golf ball.
 2. The device of claim 1 wherein the support portion comprises a top support surface aligned with a top of the striking face, the top support surface having a recessed hemispherical opening in a rearward portion of the top support surface to receive the sphere secured therein with half of the sphere in the hemispherical opening and a groove extending from a front center of the hemispherical opening to a point adjacent to the front striking face pointing to the center portion of the striking face, the needle secured in the groove.
 3. The device of claim 1 further comprising a transparent block of rigid synthetic material encasing the sphere and needle, wherein the support surface comprises a flat top portion for receiving the transparent block attached thereto.
 4. The device of claim 1 wherein the support portion comprises a top support surface aligned with a top of the front striking face, the top support surface having a keyhole shaped opening therein with a round portion of the keyhole shaped opening positioned rearwardly from the front striking face and a straight portion of the keyhole shaped opening extending forwardly to a point adjacent to the front striking face, the top surface having a V-shaped notch at a front center edge of the straight portion, the notch aligned with the center portion of the striking face, the sphere secured within the round portion of the keyhole shaped opening and a point of the needle secured in the V-shaped notch.
 5. The device of claim 4 wherein the sphere has a cylindrical sphere opening in a bottom of the sphere and the support portion has a mating cylindrical vertical support peg in the center of the round portion of the keyhole opening so that the support peg fits securely in the sphere opening to attach the sphere to the support portion.
 6. The device of claim 4 wherein the sphere further comprises a cylindrical sphere peg extending from a bottom of the sphere and the support portion has a mating cylindrical support opening in the center of the round portion of the keyhole opening so that the sphere peg fits securely in the support opening to attach the sphere to the support portion.
 7. The device of claim 4 further comprising at least one guard arm extending from the support portion over a portion of the sphere to secure the sphere.
 8. The device of claim 1 wherein the support portion comprises a recessed horizontal support surface extending rearwardly from the striking face, the recessed horizontal support surface having a recessed hemispherical opening in a rearward portion thereof to receive the sphere secured therein with half of the sphere in the hemispherical opening and a groove extending from a front center of the hemispherical opening to a point adjacent to the front striking face pointing to the center portion of the striking face, the golf putter head further comprising a flat top surface extending rearwardly from the front striking face and a downwardly extending rear face from the flat top surface down to the recessed horizontal support surface, the rear face parallel to the front striking face and a line indicia extending from the center portion of the front striking face rearwardly along the flat top surface and down the rear face to a point on the recessed horizontal support surface aligned with the needle.
 9. The device of claim 1 further comprising a transparent block of rigid synthetic material encasing the sphere and needle, wherein the support surface comprises a recessed horizontal support surface for receiving the transparent block attached thereto with the needle pointing to the center portion of the front striking plate, the golf putter head further comprising a flat top surface extending rearwardly from the front striking face and a downwardly extending rear face from the flat top surface down to the recessed horizontal support surface, the rear face parallel to the front striking face and a line indicia extending from the center portion of the front striking face rearwardly along the flat top surface and down the rear face to a point aligned with the needle.
 10. The device of claim 1 wherein the sphere is formed of a transparent material and the needle pierces through the sphere so that the needle is visible from a back of the needle and a shaft of the needle extending through the sphere and out of the sphere forwardly to a needle point pointing at the center portion of the front striking plate.
 11. The device of claim 1 wherein the sphere is formed of an opaque material so that a portion of the needle within the sphere is not visible.
 12. The device of claim 11 wherein the sphere is provided with a visual image on an exterior of the sphere.
 13. The device of claim 12 wherein the visual image is a visual image taken taken from the list of visual images including at least one color, a painting, an image of the Earth, an image of the Moon, an image of the Sun, an image of a planet, an image of a fruit, an image of a vegetable, an image of a pearl, an image of a ball, an image of a candy ball.
 14. The device of claim 1 wherein the needle extends completely through the sphere.
 15. The device of claim 1 wherein a portion of the needle is secured within a mating opening in the sphere. 